Electrical receptacle



F. J. HINES ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE Filed Dec. 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR April 5, 1932.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 26, 1929 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES FRANCIS J'- HINES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE Application filed December 26, 1929. Serial No. 416,714.

My invention relates to improvements in a type of devices set forth in my Patents t eatre and 1,645,950 and my plication 259,82? filed March 7, 1928. In these t1 constructions provision is made for the convenient connection of several conductors to each side of the circuit thus making it possible to make branch circuits without splicing soldering or taping. My present inll vention has for one object improvement and simplification in such devices.

Another object is to simplify and reduce the cost of construction.

Another object is to provide cheap but sellb cure means for securing the parts together. According to my present invention in its preferred form, the body or the receptacle consists of a base and a top held together by one or more screws or rivets. The base is provided with recesses for plug contacts'and the top is provided with passages for the blades oi an attachment plug. The bus bars have their ends supported in recesses in the base and their upper edges positioned in grooves in the top or cover member. Each bus bar is provided with a plurality accessible from one side of the receptacle. The body may be supported in the usual outlet box by any usual form of face plate, ears or yolre.

in the drawings l have shown the invention as applied to single and double units but it should be understood that any numberof sets ot" contacts may be employed.

Fig. l is a front view of a duplex form of device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the rear part or bpse showing one bus bar and its contacts in ace. P Fig. 3 is a rear view of the front or cover part.

Fig. t is a transverse sectional view of the assembled device but omitting one of the bus ars. m Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the bus bars for the duplex form.

Fig. 6 is a front view of a single plug unit. Fig. 7 is a side view of the same. m Fig. 8 is a front view of the rear or base part with one bus bar in place.

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former apof binding screws? vice will stand V613 Ftig. 9 is a rear view of the front or cover par Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view but omitting one. of the bus bars.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the bus bars.

The base 10 and cover '11 are formed of any suitable insulating material such as a phenolic condensation product, porcelain or cold molding composition and may be secured together by one or more screws or rivets 12. A U-shaped hanger 13 or for instance, by one or more screws 14.

The bus bar 15 may have the contact jaws 16 and 17 formed integrally at the opposite ends for convenience in manufacture and as sembly. Preferably these bus bars are made 'of;-quite thin material not only for cheap ness in manufacture but in order to make it possible to form the contact jaws integral without rupturing the metal. to draw inwardly the seats 18 for the-screws 19 and to punch up lugs 20 along the rear edge t? aid in holding the'ends of the wires m p ace.

The ends of the base are provided with recesses 21 to receive the contact jaws and the ends 22 of the bus bars which are ofl'set some.- what so that the lower edge 23 of each bus bar overlaps the edge 24- of the base.

A cover or top member is provided with passages 25 for the lug blades in line with the contact jaws. Ila should be understood, of course, that the jaws and the entrance pas sages may be of any shape, size or arrangement to accommodate the various standard types of plug blades. The cover is also provided with enlarged recesses 26 to accommodate the upper ends of the contact jaws. I also provide grooves 27 for positioning the upper edges of the busbars. It is thus possible to make the bus bars of quite thin material and yet securely hold them in position when the parts are assembled so that the desubstantial strains. The edge 24 of the ho y or base forms an abutment which resists the pressure of the screw driver when clamping the binding screws on the-conductors. The grooves 27 hold the upother supporting plate may be provided secured to the base,

I also prefer per or outer edges of the bus bars adjacent the screws so as to resist outward pull from the conductors held by the screws. With such a construction it is possible to use thinner metal without danger of bending the bus bars or incase it is not desired to use thinner metal for the bus bars such construction and arrangement materially reinforces the bus bars. The strap member or hanger 13 serves not only to support the receptacle in an outlet box in the usual manner but it reinforces the insulating body since it extends continuously from one end to the other of the body. By securing this hanger directly to the rear part of the body 10 independently of the front part of the body, it is possible to assemble the rear part with the hanger and insert the bus bars and contacts and inspect the same before applying the cover plate 11, which is then secured in place by a central member 12 independently of the strap or hanger 13.

Preferably the cover is provided with flanges 28 which extend considerably beyond the bus bars so as to prevent the wires from contacting with the face plate of the outlet box. These flanges are preferably bevelled at 29 to provide a maximum clearance for attaching the wires and at the same time provide substantial strength.

Althou h the construction above described is the preferred form it should be understood that the central portion 30 of the base might be omitted in some cases, although I prefer to provide the portion 30 which connects the two ends of the base because it serves to'make the parts more rigid and also serves to completely support and insulate the two bus bars and the circuit wires.

In the form shown on Sheet 2, the base 31 is secured to the cover 32 by means of screws or rivets 33 at opposite ends and these same devices also secure the supporting member 34 in place. The bus bar 35 has an integral flange 36 to whichis secured the contact jaws 37 b brazing or any other suitable manner. In t is case the base is provided with a central recess 38 for the contact member and the ends 39 of the bus bar are bent inwardly to engage shoulders in the recesses 40 at opposite ends of the base.

The cover is provided with passages 41 for the attachment plug blades and recesses 42 for the upper ends of the contacts. Grooves 43 are provided to receive the edges of thebus bars to steady them. The ends of the cover may be provided with grooves 44 to receive portions of the supporting yoke 34 to assist in holding the parts in proper alignment.

It will be noted that the parts of the body are so designed that they may be readilymade in very simple dies as they require no side plungers in their formation.

I claim:

1. An electrical receptacle comprising a body formed of a base part and a top part,

the top part having flanges overlapping the sides of the base part, bus bars mounted on edge between the two parts of the body on opposite sides of the center and interlocked with the base and top parts and each having at least one contact within the body inserted with the bus bar, the top part of the body having grooves for an edge of each bus bar and recesses for the contacts, said body having passages through the top of the body and each bar having a plurality of binding screws accessible from one side of the body, the

opposite ends of the bars being secured in the body by the securing of the top to the base,

and means for securing the top to the base after the bus bars and the contacts have been inserted in the base.

2-. In an electrical receptacle, an insulating body having front and back members, the front member having recesses at opposite ends open toward the other member and grooves leading to said recesses, the front member having passages for plug blades to extend ir o said recesses, and bus bars arranged o1. edge and having their ends positioned in said recesses and edges in said grooves and contacts carried by opposite ends of said bus bar and positioned in said recesses, said back member having cut-out portions at the sides and recesses open toward the front and communicating with said cut-out portions to receive the rear edges of the bus bars and contacts respectively.

3. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating base having recesses opening at the front with side recesses communicating therewith, flat bus bars insertible edgewise into said recesses from the front and having contacts secured to the bus bars and insertible and removable therewith, each bus bar having a series of binding screws whose heads are accessible from the sides, the rear edges of the bus bars overlapping edges of the base, and a cover plate secured to the base and having passages for attachment plug blades in line with the contacts in the base, said cover plate having grooves interlocking with the front edges of the bus bars.

4. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating body formedof a base portion and a cover portion, the base portion having recesses in the opposite sides with extensions for the blade contacts, a bus bar located in each side recess with its ends interlocked in the base and each having a number of binding screws, contacts secured to the bus bars in said contact recesses, and a cover plate secured to said base and provided with passages in line with said contacts, and having grooves holding the edges of the bus bars laterally.

5. An electrical receptacle comprising a body formed of insulating material and having on each side of its longitudinal center line a contact receiving recess at each end with passages for the insertion into said recesses of attachment plug blades from the front and having a pocket in the side of the body, a bus bar arranged on edge in the body and having contacts at its opposite ends supported in the contact receiving recesses and a number of binding screws in the bus bar, said body having a grooved portion near the screws and the front edge of the bus bar having a portion projecting into said grooved portion between the contact receiving recesses, said body having an abutment shoulder for the inner surface of the rear edge of the bus bar adjacent the binding screws.

6. An electrical receptacle comprising a body formed of insulating material and having at each end on each side of its longitudinal center line a contact receiving recess with passages for the insertion from the front into said recesses of attachment plug blades and having a pocket in each side of the body and a channel connecting each end of each side pocket with the adjacent contact receiving recesses, a bus bar at each side of the body, each bus bar having contacts at its opposite ends supported in the respective contact re ceiving recesses, ,.-and at least two binding screws in eaclibus bar, said body having grooves open toward the rear and the front edges of the bus bars having portions projecting into said grooves between the contact receiving recesses in the respective sides, said body having side flanges extending laterally over the outer edges of the heads of the respective screws.

7. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating body formed of two parts with a recess in each end of the body and having a passage for the insertion of a plug blade into each recess and a pocket in the center of the side with channels connecting the pocket with the end recesses and a bus bar held between the parts of the body and having blade contacts in the end recesses and a number of binding screws in the side between the ends with their heads in the pocket, said body having a groove facing toward the rear and said bus bar having an integral portion near the screws positioned in said groove.

8. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating body formed of two parts with a recess in each end of the body and having a passage for the insertion of a plug blade into each recess and a pocket in the side with channels connecting the pocket with the end recesses and a bus bar held edgewise between the parts of the body and having blade contacts in the end recesses and binding screws in the side between the endswith their heads in the pocket, said body having a groove fac-. ing toward the rear and said bus bar having an integral portion at its front edge near the screws positioned in said groove, said body having an abutment for the rear edge of said bus bar adjacent said screws.

a 9. An electrical receptacle comprising an insulating body formed oftwo parts with a recess in each end of the body and having a passage for the insertion of a plug blade into each recess and a pocket in the side with channels connecting the pocket with the end recesses and a bus bar held edgewise between the parts of the body and having blade contacts in the end recesses and binding screws in the side between the ends with their heads in the pocket, said body having a groove facing toward the rear and said bus bar having an integral portion at its front edge near the screws positioned in said groove, said body having an abutment for the rear edge of said bus bar adjacent said screws, said body also having an integral portion projecting laterally beyond the heads of the screws.

10. An electrical receptacle comprising a two-part body formed of insulating material and having recesses in each end in one part facing the other part and having passages leading into said receses from the front, bus

bars the principal parts of which are arranged edgewise with respect to the general plane of the body and held between the two parts of the body and having contacts in the respective recesses and binding screws in the central part of each bus bar accessible from the side, said body having an abutment portion behind a part at. least of the central portion of each bus bar adjacent the respective screws to receive the inward thrust of a screw driver in operating the screws for clamping the conductors beneath the binding screw heads and said body having means adjacent the screws to resist outward pull from conductors held by said screws, and

means for holding the two parts of the body in place.

FRANCIS J. HINES.

DISCLAIMER 1 ,852,459.F1'ancis J. Hines, Brooklyn, N. Y. ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE. Patent dated April 5, 1932. Disclaimer filed May 3, 1938, by the assignee, Hines Electrical Specialties, Inc. Hereby nters this disclaimer to claims 5, 6, and 8 of said Letters Patent.

[Ojfimlal Gazette May 24, 1938.] 

